I will focus today’s journal entries on four chapters in Meredith’s The State of Africa: the introduction, and chapters, 5, 6, and 7. These chapters provide an brief historical overview of contemporary African history, driven largely by leaders dissatisfied by the colonial status quo: Kenyatta in Kenya, Nelson Mandela in Africa, and Lumumba in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although I have only read four chapters so far, it has already challenged some of the monolithic images of Africa I have in the mind. The internal conflicts caused by arbitrary borders drawn up by European colonizers are, in my opinion, the most disappointing result of their occupation. By allocating power to favored ethnic groups divided among state borders, it appears that there have been two Scrambles of Africa: one between the European colonizers, and another once they have left and the rivaling ethnic groups competing to fill the power vacuum. The leaders above have attempted to establish strict leadership in the face of this vacuum, but with mixed results at best.
Over the break, I read Poor Economics by Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, co-founders of the MIT Poverty Action Lab, and so I am currently interested in impact evaluation research. The quantifiable measures of random control trials (RCT) is appealing to me because it puts every speculation about development issues into rigorous tests and letting the numbers rather than the rhetoric speaking for themselves. On Christmas day, my sister gave me a copy of The Poverty of Nations by Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus, a book that combines economic analysis and theological doctrine to offer policy prescriptions for development issues that different countries in the world face. Nominally speaking, I grew up in a Roman Catholic family, but I admit I was initially skeptical about reading a book that quotes Bible passages thousands of years ago and taking it seriously. However, it is precisely the fact that I am skeptical that I decided to read it. After all, education is about challenging contrasting ideas head on rather than dismissing them with prejudice. Perhaps it is too early for platitudes, considering that I am a nascent economist, and even that sounds like a generous description.
However, the most important book that I have read about Africa is Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom, a 700-page bestselling memoir about his life from Thembu royalty to sworn revolutionary for the freedom from the apartheid. It is truly remarkable to hear the amount of sacrifices Mandela had to make in order to help win freedom for the country. He spent a life away from his wife and children, both in hiding from the police or in prison. It is truly remarkable to consider the efforts needed to change an entire nation, but at the same time, it is encouraging to witness the impact that one influential person can have. There may be no silver bullet to end all poverty, but proper leadership is a necessary ingredient in any transformative undertaking.
Over the break, I read Poor Economics by Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, co-founders of the MIT Poverty Action Lab, and so I am currently interested in impact evaluation research. The quantifiable measures of random control trials (RCT) is appealing to me because it puts every speculation about development issues into rigorous tests and letting the numbers rather than the rhetoric speaking for themselves. On Christmas day, my sister gave me a copy of The Poverty of Nations by Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus, a book that combines economic analysis and theological doctrine to offer policy prescriptions for development issues that different countries in the world face. Nominally speaking, I grew up in a Roman Catholic family, but I admit I was initially skeptical about reading a book that quotes Bible passages thousands of years ago and taking it seriously. However, it is precisely the fact that I am skeptical that I decided to read it. After all, education is about challenging contrasting ideas head on rather than dismissing them with prejudice. Perhaps it is too early for platitudes, considering that I am a nascent economist, and even that sounds like a generous description.
However, the most important book that I have read about Africa is Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom, a 700-page bestselling memoir about his life from Thembu royalty to sworn revolutionary for the freedom from the apartheid. It is truly remarkable to hear the amount of sacrifices Mandela had to make in order to help win freedom for the country. He spent a life away from his wife and children, both in hiding from the police or in prison. It is truly remarkable to consider the efforts needed to change an entire nation, but at the same time, it is encouraging to witness the impact that one influential person can have. There may be no silver bullet to end all poverty, but proper leadership is a necessary ingredient in any transformative undertaking.
No comments:
Post a Comment